Canadian Beauty

Creed Royal Mayfair

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Henna

If you’re looking for a unique perfume, then you need to check this one out: fresh, crisp, damp, almost minty… and did I say fresh? It’s very very fresh, almost like snow in the woods. You need to smell it to believe it.

Creed Royal Mayfair is a unisex scent (thought on the more masculine side) that was launched last year by Creed Perfumes. The scent was created as an homage to the Duke of Windsor, and is a reissued version of the Windsor scent.

Notes for Royal Mayfair are: gin, lime, and pine. Middle note is a rose one, but a rose note that’s damp and wet, and not overly floral. Base notes are: orange, cedar, and eucalyptus.

As you can see from the notes, this is an unusual men’s scent given that there’s rose in the heart of it, and not a bergamot or lemon note to be found. I really like that this scent doesn’t initially smell like Pinesol like a lot of other men’s scents do. It smells so clean and fresh that it doesn’t even smell like what we traditionally think of as perfume. The drydown is very dry and almost musty and the scent has decent sillage for at least the first few hours that its worn.

Royal Mayfair is perfect for those of us who don’t mind cold weather, the rain, walks in forests, and strong mints.

You can find Creed perfumes at Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, Saks, Nordstrom, and La Maison Ogilvy. You can also order it online.

$260 for 1 oz, $385 for 2.5 oz, and $670 for 8.4 oz.

Posted in Perfumes | Tagged Creed | Leave a comment

Four Awesome Products for Your Brows

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Henna

Smashbox Brow Tech Shaping Powder. The volume of a powder with the precision of a pencil – that’s what Smashbox delivers in this new Brow Tech Shaping Powder. The magic lies in the applicator which is a soft but pointy sponge. It picks up enough powder for you to fill in your brows with nice light strokes and the powder blends in and is natural-looking. Brows look fuller without looking filled-in. $27.
Nars Brow Perfector. This is a soft automatic pencil that is semi-sheer so that you can really build up the colour in your brows without going overboard. This is the perfect pencil to take on the go with you. $29.
Benefit Gimme Brow. This is one tiny tube but it’s filled with actual brow fibres that can help sparse brows look naturally more full. I use it with my own slanted brow brush so that I never pick up too much product. $40.
Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Brow. This is a 3-in-1 product: brow pencil, matte highlighter, and a little spooly brow brush all in one package. If you usually highlight your brow bone, you’ll want this because it packages everything together.

Posted in Spring 2016 | Tagged Benefit, Make Up For Ever, Nars, Smashbox | 2 Comments

Caryl Baker Visage Spring 2016: Bloom

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Henna

It’s been some time since I shopped Caryl Baker makeup, but this spring, I’ve been won over with their Bloom collection. It has pretty colours for eyes, cheeks, and lips that can be worn together or alone.

I’m especially impressed with the eyeshadow selection. The colours are vibrant but the powders are so finely milled. There’s micro-shimmer in some of the colours, like the fine gold that pops up in the sea foam Hydrangea eyeshadow. I love love love this colour, so much so that it’s my new neutral. It’s just something different and so unexpected that I’m loving it on the eyes paired with neutral lips.

Also: lipstick. Yes, I’m a lipstick girl all the way now, and I’m loving the bright pinks from this collection. You’ll see that there are a variety of shades for every skin tone, and they’re all in a satin formula that feels comfortable even on dry lips.

That little part that pops up from the lipstick lid? That says Caryl Baker on it? That’s a built-in mirror so that your lipstick won’t ever be out of line.

All in all, these pops of colours are ones that I’m already adding into my spring makeup routine. The textures and formulas make them easy to wear and work with what I already have on rotation.

Check out the entire collection at your local Caryl Baker Visage location starting March 21.

Posted in Spring 2016 | Tagged Caryl Baker Visage | 5 Comments

MAC x Caitlyn Jenner

Posted on March 18, 2016 by Henna

If there’s one lipstick I’m getting this Spring, it’s going to be the MAC Caitlyn Jenner colour, Finally Free, which launches April 7th. Described as a Rosy Nude, Caitlyn decided to create this colour so that people would buy it, wear it often, and then buy it again! As much as I love a good red MAC lip, day to day, more natural colours are more my jam, and I think many people are in the same boat.

100% of the proceeds will go to the MAC Aids Fund Transgender Initiative, which will work to support transgender communities.

Check out an interview MAC did with Caitlyn Jenner here.

$21.

Posted in Spring 2016 | Tagged Caitlyn Jenner, lipstick, MAC | Leave a comment

Light Hydration for the Spring and Summer

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Henna

Come spring and summer, I find that my makeup starts sliding off my skin, and so all I’m wearing is a good moisturizer and sunscreen. If I’m lucky, my sunscreen will have a little bit of coverage in it, but you can’t always win them all, right?

My moisturizer has to be super-light, and so instead of a cream, I turn to gels.

If gels are more your jam too, you need to check out the Neutrogena Hydro Boost line. They line has a Gel Cream, and a Gel Cream for extra dry skin, and also an Eye Gel. All the products are light and fresh, thanks to a water gel formula that contains Hyaluronic Acid, and Glycerine. Hyaluronic Acid is a great ingredient for moisturizer because it can hold water and so keeps skin supple.

Even the Gel Cream for extra dry skin is light and refreshing when applied and it immediately relieves tight skin, and sinks in without a greasy residue or finish. It’s light but lasts, and you can top it with your favourite sunscreen or makeup without feeling like you’re wearing too much on your face.

$19.99 – $24.99 each at drug, food, and mass merchandisers.

Posted in Moisturizers | Tagged neutrogena | 2 Comments

Contour and Strobe Products We Can All Afford

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Henna

Now, you don’t have to spend a fortune on well-made highlight and contour palettes, thanks to NYX which is now sold at Shoppers Drug Mart. Check out my reviews of the two new palettes from NYX and which one I favoured.

The number one problem with most contour products is that they’re either not pigmented enough, or they’ve got shimmer in them instead of being totally matte. Leave it to NYX to solve all that for us.

NYX has two palettes that are amazing if you want to try your hand at sculpting your face: a Highlight & Contour Pro palette, and the Strobe of Genius Illuminating Palette.

Let me start with the Highlight and Contour Pro Palette because, quite honestly, it’s my favourite. Check it out below. There are 4 highlight colours, and 4 contour colours.

Of the highlight colours, two are shimmer, and the two middle ones are matte. I found that I could wear all the colours on my medium-toned skin. The yellow is brightening, the cream was great for under my eyes, and the shimmer colours were perfect for highlighting the top of my cheek bones without making it look like I was covered in sweat. I love how finely-milled these powders were and that they were so pigmented. A little went a long way, and I made sure to blend everything with a huge fluffy brush.

The contour colours are all matte, and need to come with a warning! They are SO pigmented that I would recommend using a smaller brush and tapping it gently into the powders before lightly applying where you want to contour. My favourite is the greyish beige brown beneath the yellow and I think it’s a colour that will suit a large number of people. I used the browns more to contour in the crease of my eye, and the darkest brown was great to fill in my brows!

This is a versatile contour palette and it’s perfect for a beginner because you can get a sense of what you really want and experiment with different colours. If you’re more experienced with makeup, then I think you’ll really like using all the highlighting colours.

Also! The colours are refillable, and if one shade runs out, you can get a refill of it! Did I say that this palette is versatile?! It’s versatile! Love it, they thought of everything.

Lets move on to the Strobe of Genius palette. This palette is definitely for “strobing” and not just highlighting. That means you want light reflecting off the very high points of your face – the tops of your cheekbones and maybe the tip of your nose. Personally, I found that I couldn’t really tell too much of a difference between all the different strobe colours. Most of them wore very cool and had a slightly silvery iridescence and I wasn’t a fan of that.

Unlike with the Highlight and Contour palette, I really didn’t get a lot of use out of all of the strobing colours, but I did like that I could use them as an eyeshadow, and they wore very well when I did that.

The colours are super smooth and blend effortlessly. There was no fall-out when I used them, and I could make them look natural.

If, however, you want to color correct, or like to match your strobing to your eyeshadow look then this palette might be for you.

I’ve already said that the Highlight and Contour Pro palette is more for me, and it’s one that I’d even travel with.

Each palette is $27 and available online or at Shoppers.

Posted in Spring 2016 | Tagged NYX, palettes | 1 Comment

New Garnier Whole Blends

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Henna

For the longest time I’ve been seeing Garnier’s new Whole Blends line at the grocery store, but I put it off because the whole line reminded me of Herbal Essences, so I just thought “been there, done that”.

But then I read the ingredients to the Whole Blends Coconut Water and Vanilla Milk shampoo and conditioner, and guess what? There was actual Coconut Water in there, and in fact it was high up on the ingredient list!

So I decided to give it a shot, and I have to say that the line is worth trying. Garnier has six different “blends” that you can try out: honey, coconut water and vanilla milk, green tea and apple (which is more clarifying), cocoa butter and coconut oil (I need to try this one next), Avocado Oil and Shea Butter, and Argan oil and Cranberry.

They all promise to moisturize your hair and really condition it, so this line is perfect for those of us with dry and damaged hair. My hair just seems to soak up the moisture, especially since it’s so dry where I live. The shampoo and conditioner that I tried were moisturizing but didn’t weigh my hair down, which was perfect. A day later, my hair is soft and silky and blow-dried so easily. Oh, and it smelled amazing.

$6.99 each for the shampoo and conditioner.

Posted in Shampoo and Conditioner | Tagged Garnier | Leave a comment

New Year, New Detox

Posted on March 12, 2016 by Henna

Have you guys watched the new Netflix docuseries Cooked? It’s amazing, and it’s changing the way that I think about my food. Check out the trailer for it:

At the heart of the series is the message that we should all be cooking more, and if we did, we would be a lot healthier. We should know where our food comes from, and how to prepare it ourselves. It’s common sense but it’s also something that many of use forget in our day to day lives. We’re so busy on our phones that we don’t make time to get all the groceries we need and really plan family meals – and not just dinner. Wouldn’t it be great if we all had home-cooked food from breakfast, to lunch, to dinner?

And so begins a different kind of detox for me. One that eschews packaged food for food that I’ve made myself. Now, I’m not perfect and lets be practical – there are only so many hours in a day and I’m working too. But cooking more is something that I want to work towards.

As I learn more about food, I’m also interested in “superfoods”. These are foods that are nutrient rich and do good for the body. To amp up my superfood intake, I’ve started adding Neal’s Yard Remedies new Organic Berry Complex ($49) to my smoothies and breakfast bowls. The Organic Berry Complex is a powder made up of ten superberries and ground up apple. It’s vegan and preservative-free and so tastes so good that you’ll forget that it’s good for you (I find that it just tastes like dried apple chips).

You can make a simple breakfast bowl like the one I have below. I used some plain Greek yogurt and drizzled some honey on it. Then I added some pumpkin seeds, sliced almonds, and put a scoop of the Organic Berry Complex on top. The result was delicious.

You can pick up the Organic Berry Complex online or at a Neal’s Yard Remedies boutique.

Posted in More Than Beauty | Tagged Neal's Yard Remedies | Leave a comment

The Gentle Skincare Company You Need to Know

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Henna

Skincare seems to be a hot topic for so many people. If you have kids, you’ll be aware about the rise in nut allergies, but if you’re in the beauty industry, you’ll realize that more and more people have sensitive or easily irritated skin. Most of my friends have very sensitive skin or some kind of skincare issue that requires them to take special care of their skin.

Luckily, unscented and gentle options are available even at the drugstore, but now there’s something new – this company nails sensitive skincare by offering products that are simple but are well-made so that they feel good on the skin.

The company is Schaf skincare and they’re making natural, organic, gentle, and effective skincare products that suit everyone.

The line includes a cleanser ($25), a moisturizer ($45), a scrub ($30), an eye cream ($30), and a shave cream ($25).

My favourite product was the Hydrating Facial Cleanser. Made with aloe, coconut oil, and hyaluronic acid, this cleanser is so smooth that it feels slippery on the skin. It’s lightly foaming and effective at taking off a bit of makeup without drying skin out completely. I almost want to say that my skin feels better after washing with the Schaf cleanser than it did before!

No matter what your skin type, you’ll also love the Nutritive Moisturizer. It contains Hyaluronic Acid, Shea Butter, and Peptides to help keep skin hydrated, plumped, and fight off discolouration. The moisturizer is oil-free so it feels light and refreshing on skin, takes away any tightness, but doesn’t make skin look or feel greasy. It is great for priming skin for foundation or any other base, and kept my face feeling comfortable throughout the winter. My skin not only felt better – it looked better too.

Schaf is definitely my favourite new skincare line that I’ve tried recently, and if you’re looking for gentle skincare products then it’s the one to try. Oh, and I should mention that the line is for men and women.

Pick it up online or check out their list of retailers to find it in a city near you.

Posted in Skin Care | Tagged Schaf, skincare | 1 Comment

New Creed Royal Princess Oud

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Henna

Oud or Agarwood has an earthy woody but warm scent and has been the “it” ingredient in perfume for a few years now. I’ve stayed away from it for the most part because the oud found in most perfumes is quite warm and sweet, and sweet scents are just saccharine on me. Real Oud isn’t quite so sweet but it’s still warm. I’ve smelled it in Indian incense before, and it’s a scent that instantly makes me feel comforted.

Now imagine that you’re an early-20th century princess who’s well-traveled and for your personal scent, you choose something with classic floral heart, but also with a touch of mystery by having oud as a base.

Creed’s new Royal Princess Oud was inspired by the sketches of 20th century clothing in the Creed vault. It’s a fresh scent that has notes of Iris, rose and violet. The floral heart is surrounded by a woodiness, thanks to base notes of sandalwood, and other woody resins extracted from plants much the way that oud is.

Like all Creed scents, this one is long-lasting and scents the air around me too. It has strong sillage – it wafts off me – and I absolutely love that. I love that my closet slightly smells like it because it scent has lasted on my clothes. One spray is more than enough for me, and even though I’ve been wearing this scent every day I haven’t gotten used to it yet, which is testament to how interesting and unique it is.

The scent is feminine and yet still modern thanks to its initial coolness. It never really gets too warm, and it doesn’t get sweet the way that other oud scents do. I think that’s because Creed has used other resinous scents instead of just oud, and so there’s a woodiness that’s rich and interesting along with the floral heart that keeps it feminine and sparkly.